Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration says he's issuing an executive order to require all hospitals in the state to allow women in labor to have an essential support person accompany them into the delivery room.

This comes after several private hospitals barred birthing partners due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a press conference on Saturday, the secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa said the order is meant to clarify a guidance issued by the state Department of Health on March 21, advising hospitals to allow one person in the delivery room when a person is giving birth. Despite that guidance, New York Presbyterian and Mount Sinai hospitals last week continued to enforce new guidelines restricting all visitors from being present during labor and delivery, including birthing partners.

"Yesterday we updated that guidance to make it a directive, so that women do not have to be alone while they're giving birth," said DeRosa. "And we're going going to reinforce that in an executive order."

Officials from both New York Presbyterian and Mount Sinai issued statements shortly after the announcement, saying they will comply with the order.

Jessica Pournaras, who works as a doula in New York and started an online petition to call attention to hospitals who were restricting visitors, says a birthing partner is essential care for mothers in labor, and safety concerns about spreading the virus are reduced for those who share a household.

"If you are living with someone, you should be seen as a unit of infection risk rather than as an individual infection risk," said Pournaras.

Dr. Neel Shah is an obstetrician and professor at Harvard, who co-founded the organization March for Moms. He says having a partner present for delivery correlates with positive health and safety outcomes, but he also believes hospitals should be allowed to temporarily restrict outsiders, especially because protective gear is in short supply right now.

"Labor and delivery is sort of unique because the people who are working are being exposed to the air, liquids and surfaces," said Shah. "And so every person that’s in that environment needs a mask and goggles, at minimum."

The order applies to both public and private hospitals.